In a market dominated by foreign GSM operators two years earlier, Glo made a grand entry on the 29th of August 2003.
It seemed the advent of Globacom really brought about market stability and competition, because if not for Globacom, Nigerians were going to continue taking crap from foreigners.
Who can remember those days when calling was strictly based on per-minute billing, and it costs N50 Naira per-minute?
I remember that you dare not 'flash' and the recipient picks up.
Who can remember when a 'starter pack' used to cost between N20,000 to 40,000?
I remember my first number was a Glo line, 080561323XX. It cost N10,000 and it included N5,000 airtime. So it means I actually bought the line for N5,000. The cheapest around at that time.
Globacom's advent into the Nigerian market was a wonderful thing that has ever happened to Nigerians. When they came, they scrapped that so-called per-minute billing, a plan the other networks in existence said 'wasn't possible'.
Glo introduced per-second billing at cheap and affordable rates.
I remember vividly in 2004, I was privileged to use a Nokia 3330 Music Phone then (who can remember that phone?) I needed to browse, I just put in my Glo sim and I connected to the mobile internet for the first time.
I remember it was on Glo I sent my first ever Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS).
I also remember all the other network started 'copying' Globacom. Nigerians had already settled for crap and didn't seem to care, not until Glo came out and started amending some of these 'injustices' as I will like to term it.
Globacom then began massive infrastructural development as any news on Glo was on most newspapers then. They did this optic fibre underground cable or something like that to boost their network. I remember all of these.
Those of us on the network back then were 'Glo-ing With Pride', much to the envy of those who were not on the network.
Several years along the line, Glo gained a massive customer base.
I remember Glo was the first network that launched 3G network into the market. I remember you could do video calling on Glo network then.
For people who started using Blackberry, who can remember when BIS was N5,000 per month? I remember some people in my school then will save up to 5k just to subscribe. It was Globacom that crashed that price to N3,000 per month, then the other networks followed suit.
Barely a few months after that, Glo further crashed that price to N1,400, while other networks were still charging at N3,000 per month. I can't count how many of my friends dumped their previous lines and went to purchase a Glo line.
When the other networks discovered that they were the ones losing, they followed suit too and reduced their price to N1,500.
Now how much is BIS today, N1,000. How much is SIM card today, N100.. The rest, they say, is history.
I must say without any form of bias, that Globacom has really thrived despite the very stiff competition they had back then. Some other networks wouldn't have survived then.
Now Globacom has spread its tentacles in some West African countries.
Not forgetting some social responsibilities that Glo had embarked upon such as sponsoring the Nigerian Premier League and Ghanaian premier League, the Glo CAF Awards and the Glo Soccer Academy and many others.
All of these can be attributed to a visionary Nigerian businessman-per-excellence, Dr. Michael Adenuga Jnr, whose steadfastness made Glo what it is today.
I say Congratulations to Globacom on its 10 year Anniversary.
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